Tax data suggests lethal Canadian arms still being exported to Israel

  • Canadian Press

Yara Shoufani, Palestinian Youth Movement, speaks as she is joined by Alex Paterson, Canadians for Justice and Peace, left, and Corey Balsam, Independent Jewish Voices in the Middle East, during a press conference on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Tuesday, July 29, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

OTTAWA -- Israeli customs data suggests lethal Canadian arms are still being exported regularly to that country, despite Ottawa's claim that it has halted such shipments.

A coalition of Canadian advocates for Palestinians examined data published by the Israel Tax Authority showing shipments from Canada classified as bullets, guns and weapons arriving in Israel.

Parliament voted in favour of a non-binding motion in March 2024 to halt new arms permits for Israel, and the government subsequently announced a review of existing export permits.

That month, the office of then-foreign affairs minister Melanie Joly said none of the operating permits allowed for the export of "lethal goods" to Israel.

Yara Shoufani of the Palestinian Youth Movement says the Canadian government has not been transparent about what's reaching Israel, and she wonders if the federal government misled Parliament.

Global Affairs Canada and the office of Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand did not immediately provide comment on the report.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 29, 2025.